On Friday, Jan 20th, New York State Secretary of State Cesar Perales will present Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s budget plan at 3 p.m. in the Edison O. Jackson Auditorium at Medgar Evers College – 1638 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225. Secretary Perales is one of several key cabinet members deployed to bring the administration’s fiscal discipline and reform agenda to communities statewide on the heels of the Governor’s address outlining a proposed $132.5 billion budget plan for 2012-13 in Albany this past Tuesday.

Much publicized hallmarks of the plan include proposed changes to the public employee pension system and new standardized evaluations for New York’s school teachers. Additionally, the budget proposal includes a 4% increase in education and healthcare spending and reflects an overall spending cut of $225 million while closing a $2 billion deficit.

Secretary Perales’ visit is the latest in a array of recent campus events featuring VIP officials and dignitaries including Governor Cuomo, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and President Leonel Fernández Reyna of the Dominican Republic.

This event is free and open to the public.

About Secretary of State Perales

Cesar A. Perales was appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on March 31, 2011 and unanimously confirmed by the New York State Senate on June 7, 2011 as Secretary of the New York Department of State. The Department is the oldest agency in state government with the exception of the Offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. He has spent more than four decades as a dedicated public servant, including serving as Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the administration of President Jimmy Carter, as Commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services under Governor Mario M. Cuomo, and as Deputy Mayor of New York City under Mayor David Dinkins. Mr. Perales is a co-founder of LatinoJustice PRLDEF and established the first Brooklyn Legal Services Office.

Secretary Perales grew up in New York City and is a resident of Brooklyn. He earned his B.A. from City College of New York and a J.D. from Fordham Law School. He has been widely recognized throughout his distinguished career for his dedication to social justice and civil rights. Among other distinctions, he is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Lehman College, the Thurgood Marshall Award from Seton Hall University Law School, the Dean’s Medal from the Fordham University School of Law, and the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic National Bar Association.

In leading the New York Department of State, Secretary Perales oversees a multitude of services at one of the state’s most diverse agencies including the licensing of 29 professional occupations, the registration of trademarks, filings of certificates of incorporation, and the keeping of the state’s most vital records. He also oversees the Department’s coordination with more than 1,500 municipalities throughout the state on matters including economic development, local and regional planning, and revitalization. Secretary Perales is the first Secretary of State to guide the new Division of Consumer Protection, the state’s top consumer watchdog and think tank.